Treatment formulations are often used to clean and protect hard surfaces in the home. Home care hard surface cleaners, for example, are formulations containing surfactants and optionally a disinfectant to remove dirt, grease, and germs from hard surfaces such as wood, tile, stone, and stainless steel, which are found on floors, kitchen counters, appliances, and bathrooms in a typical home. The hard surface cleaning formulation may also contain ingredients for specific functions such as an antifoam agent, a wetting agent, a chelating agent, a co-solvent, a rheology modifier and a film-former. However, there can be a reduction in the gloss of a tile or other shiny substrate when a surfactant-containing formulation is applied to clean it. As a result, the substrate can still look dirty.
To mitigate the reduction in gloss, certain surfactants and blends of surfactants and solvents have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,532,973 suggests the use of alkylpolyglucoside surfactants, US Pub. No. 2008/0188394 proposes amine oxide as a sole surfactant, and EP 1 021 400 B1 uses sulfosuccinamate in combination with selected nonionic surfactants. U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,514, EP 0 805 200 B1 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,452 suggest nonionic and anionic surfactant formulations for use in low-streaking and low-filming in hard surface cleaning formulations to retain or improve the gloss of treated surfaces. Residues from such formulations can, however, make the surface tacky and prone to fingerprints.
Another approach is to add a shine agent to the hard surface cleaning formulation to enhance the shine of the substrate. For example, US Pub. No. 20100022427 discloses polysiloxane-based compositions that are suited for use in toilet bowls to make the surface dirt-repellant. Although the siloxanes can provide shine to the substrate, they tend to make surfaces slippery, which could be hazardous to walk on if used on a floor surface. Also, siloxane-based polymers can degrade in acidic or basic pH and release volatile cyclic compounds, making them unsuited to use on counter-tops.
Adding a film-former to the hard surface cleaning formulation can sometimes provide shine and protection to the surface. For example, WO 02/36725, WO 97/13836 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,639 utilize water-soluble film-forming polymers for imparting gloss to the surface after cleaning. WO 97/13836 suggests sulfonated polystyrene homo- and copolymers for imparting shine and EP 1 678 285 B1 suggests the use of styrene-acrylate copolymers. However, the water resistance of the film after application may be poor, as such polymers are likely to be water-soluble or form hard-brittle films that can crack when exposed to water. As a result, the formulations may not provide a benefit once the applied formulation is wetted. The surface may also appear dull and damaged.
GB 2294942A and U.S. Pat. No. 7,501,026 suggest using hydrophobically modified ethoxylated polyurethanes as thickening agents for hard surface cleaning formulations in acidic pH. These polymers are water soluble and thus do not provide any water resistance to the treated substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,206,511 describes a method of cleaning uncoated and coated hard surfaces using mechanical floor cleaning and polishing equipment with a formulation containing a gloss-enhancing agent for improved shine. The data suggest that gloss is improved as a result of the multiple polishing techniques used during floor cleaning, since formulations without a film forming agent appear to perform as well. For home care, formulations which require the use of specialized buffing and polishing equipment are undesirable.
Another type of hard surface care composition is furniture polish. These compositions typically contain oils and silicone polymers, which can provide temporary gloss. However, they are prone to transfer or vanish over a period of time.